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Ricky Nolasco may never have been in the Dodgers’ plans for the National League Division Series.

Discussions by manager Don Mattingly and company about excluding the No. 4 starter from the NLDS dates back to before the end of the regular season.

It just may have been too tempting for Dodgers brass to keep it a secret considering the following scenarios.

A sweep — by either team — would have made Nolasco’s status a moot point.

The desperation of a 2-1 deficit to the Atlanta Braves entering Monday would have made starting ace No. 1a Clayton Kershaw on three days rest for the first time in his career an easier decision, at least.

Whether it had more to do with their opinion of Nolasco or Kershaw, it was the scenario with which the Dodgers entered Game 4 that brought the most to light.

“I don’t think this has anything to do with Ricky,” Mattingly said before Game 4. “It’s really more to do with Clayton and Zack (Greinke). When we told Ricky (Sunday) night, he goes, ‘I understand. You’ve got the best guy in the game out there.’ ”

Were the Dodgers to find themselves in Atlanta facing a deciding Game 5, Greinke would pitch the NLDS finale on normal rest.

“I think I’d question myself a lot more when you have two aces,” Mattingly said, “and don’t play them both.”

But perhaps starting Kershaw on Monday had more to do with the NLCS than the NLDS. A Kershaw victory would set up Greinke to start NLCS Game 1 and Kershaw Game 2 on normal rest.

Any NLCS scenarios, however, likely include Nolasco making a start.

After posting a 12.75 earned-run average in his last three starts, one wonders if Nolasco falls in the camp of those questioning themselves.

He said before Sunday’s game nobody had informed him of any possibility Kershaw would start Monday. Nolasco didn’t speak with the media prior to Game 4, but clearly stated on Sunday he wouldn’t object to Kershaw starting in his place.

“This isn’t about me. It’s about the team,” Nolasco said before Game 3. “They’re the ones getting paid to make those decisions.”

After being traded from the Miami Marlins on July 6 with a 5-8 record and 3.53 ERA, Nolasco went 8-1 in his first 12 starts as a Dodger.

After his recent dip in production, did the Game 4 decision show a lack of confidence in Nolasco?

“I don’t think so,” Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. “A five-game series is different than a seven-game series. So we’ve had a lot of conversations with Ricky during this week, you know, what we’ve felt he was prepared for today.

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“This guy’s a pro. He’s going to be prepared to do whatever we ask him to do.”

Honeycutt said it was Kershaw whowas making the most requests. “The deciding voice” in the decision, Kershaw was barking after his 12-strikeout performance in a Game 1 NLDS win that he wanted the start in Game 4.

The only hesitation for Mattingly was worrying about risking potential long-term damage to Kershaw, particularly considering he threw 124 pitches in the series opener.

“We talked to him (Sunday) night and we basically said, ‘Hey, Clay, you’ve got to be 100 percent sure. We’re not going to take any chances with your career,’ ” Mattingly said. “And he says, ‘All the work I do, everything I go through every start, it’s for this kind of game.’ ”